Tag: coffee

A Los Angeles County Superior Judge has ruled that all coffee shops and sellers in the state of California must label their product and warn their consumers about potential cancer risk from drinking coffee. This judgement follows from a lawsuit first filed in 2010, and refers to protections under California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. The judge ruled that the coffee companies failed to meet the burden of proof that coffee caused no harm.

The justification is that acrylamide, which is found in roasted coffee beans, has been linked to cancer in rats. Relatively small amounts of acrylamide is common in many food items besides coffee. The levels that cause cancer in rats are much higher than those consumed through coffee and diet in general.

On a “cancer worry” scale from 0 to 10, coffee should be solidly at 0 and smoking at 10; they should not have similar warning labels.

That daily cup – or more – of coffee may boost your health by reducing your risk of several types of cancer, heart disease and even early death, says a new review of the evidence. This matters because even a small benefit from coffee could significantly impact Americans’ health with over 60% of US adults drinking coffee daily, according to a National Coffee Association survey.

Aging, your environment, and certain lifestyle choices, such as what you eat or drink, can modify your DNA, without changing its overall structure. This type of modification is called an epigenetic change, and can turn your genes on or off.